R. Kelly Accuser Wins Civil Case By Default
R. Kelly didn’t show up in court yesterday (Apr. 24).
The singer and producer was sent a summons to appear but, because he didn’t, the woman accusing him of sexual abuse in a civil case won by default judgment, Vibe reports.
He failed to appear in Cook County Circuit Court to answer allegations he sexually abused an underage girl in the late 1990s.
The now 36-year-old alleged victim stated in the suit that Kelly had repeatedly had sex with her beginning in June 1998, when she was only 16-years-old, reports The Chicago Tribune.
The lawsuit was filed in February, and records show that the “Ignition” singer was served a court summons in March while behind bars at the Cook County Jail for failing to pay back child support.
Although Kelly was served a summons, he never filed an appearance in the lawsuit, according to court filings by the woman’s attorneys.
Yesterday, Judge Moira Johnson approved the lawyer’s request to enter a judgment against the troubled artist, but it could be reversed if the singer gets a lawyer involved in the lawsuit.
If Kelly doesn’t get an attorney involved, he could be ordered to pay damages as soon as next month when the alleged victim, who is identified as H.W. in criminal court documents, is slated to testify about her allegations against Kelly.
The alleged victim in the lawsuit is one of the singer’s accusers at the center of Kelly’s pending criminal charges.
Glennisha Morgan is a Detroit-bred multimedia journalist and writer. She writes about intersectionality, hip-hop, pop culture, queer issues, race, feminism, and her truth. Follow her on Twitter.
